The Asseiceira hydroelectric plant in Lisbon, Portugal, is set to become the world’s first fully sustainable water treatment plant.
Portuguese water company Empresa Portuguesa Das Aguas Livres, SA (EPAL) is investing €5 million ($6 million) in the construction of turbines that allow energy to be produced in the pipes that transport drinking water to Lisbon.
Turbines will be placed in pipelines transporting water to Lisbon to produce electricity.
This will allow the water treatment plant, as well as Castelo do Bode Pumping Station to achieve energy neutrality.
In addition to the environmental and economic benefits, the project allows increased reliability in stormy weather as the water treatment plant and pumping station in Castelo do Bode will be supplied via a private underground powerline.
Both the water treatment plant and the pumping station will be 100% self-sustainable in energy without the use of photovoltaic panels.
The project is being deployed as part of EPAL’s 0% Energy Programme which aims to achieve energy neutrality by 2025.
Investments made by EPAL as part of the 0% Energy project include €2.2 million ($2.6 million) for energy efficiency and €4.9 million ($5.8 million) to build a mini hydroelectric plant of 1.5MW.
The 0% Energy Programme is part of EPAL’s digitisation and decarbonisation strategy to increase efficiency in monitoring consumption, performance and production of electricity, combined with energy storage activities in reservoirs and monitoring and emissions associated with electricity consumption.
